Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-07-08
THE HOUSEHOLD.
The Science Of Making First-CInss
Bread,


ease may be caused by ill-cooked food, there
is surely no need to urge the Importance of
our subject. Both a theoretical and prac-
| teal knowledge of bread making are nee
essary TO every woman who aspires TO be
considered a good housekeeper. A table
may be loaded with variety Of well-p
pared dishes, but it will be incomplete with
out plate Of soft, feathery wholesome
bread. Cakes, biscuits, etc, one may live
without therefore propose to consider
simply the making Of light bread"
The requisites for good bread making are
good materials, care and absolute cleanli-
ness-factors equally important in produc-
ing the desired result Let me insist upon
the first point. They who made "bricks
without straw had no harder task than
many farmers wife who is given misera-
BILE -four has wretched yeast and then
thinks she can manage somehow" to bring
therefrom bread fit to be eaten. There is
one kind of -four that can be absolutely de.
pended upon for making good bread. re
fer to "roller' flour. II, however, you are
not fortunate enough to have it, | think
with common flour you will find my way of
making bread good one.
First, in regard to the yeast. Many per
sons make a large quantity Of yeast, cork
it up and set it by; but my experiments
with bottled yeast have never met with
much success, and would recommend that
only little be made at time. To make
yeast, | boil "A large handful of hops in
quart of water, keeping them well covered
Then take a stone jar with about a quart
Of -four handful of salt and one of sugar.
To this should be added in summer a table
spoonful of ginger to keep it from spelling
When the hops have boiled half an hour,
strain the boiling hop-water on the con
tents of the stone jar, stir smooth and set
away to cool. When mke-warm add one
cup of yeast and let it rise, stirring down
two or three times Then set it in cool
place and keep it well covered. renew
yeast made by this method every two
weeks
Second, the sponge setting must be con
sidered For this purpose take stone jar
which should he used for nothing else, and
should be kept well secured and summed
After beating the sponge with wooden
beater, set it over night. In winter it
should be set at about six o'clock and kept
warm until morning. While on the other
hand, in summer, it should not be set until
nine or ten o'clock in the evening, and in a
place not too warm, so that it may rise
without becoming sour. In making your
sponge, take a handful of flour, place it in
the stone jar, and strain tinful of boil
ing buttermilk over it, Set the remainder
of your buttermilk to cool and when it is
lukewarm, put MS much more -four into the
stone jar, and strain tinful of boiling
buttermilk over it. Set the remainder of
your buttermilk to cool and when it is luke
warm, put as much more flour into the jar
as you consider necessary for your family,
straining the luke-warm milk over it and
beating it smoothly until it is an even, toll
erably thick paste. Then add one table
spoonful of salt and one cup of hop-yeast.
This done we leave it over night, according
to the directions given above.
Third. If we have proceeded carefully
thus far, in the morning we will find our
sponge foaming like soap suds. Pour this
foaming substance into a kneading pan of
flour. Knead flour enough into it to make
il stiff enough. just here | want to point
ont what | consider n useless expenditure
of labor which many bread makers consid-
er necessary to success. | refer to the
custom of working the bread half an
hour or more while kneading in the neces-
| sn INF ,.f I ...,rly met 1.,,,,r
enough to get the flour in, and find thatmy
bread is not so apt to be tough. Leave it
covered now in a moderately warm place
until it is light-that is until you find, ON
tearing off piece, that it is full of cells
honey combed. When thus far advanced
| think to work the dough down before
making it into loaves makes the bread much
lighter. When raised again, knead into
loaves at once, using only -four enough to
knead it. Work it until the gas in the
bread stops cracking and putting. Put it
into your pans and let it become light once
more, being careful not to let it stand too
long and begin to ferment. See that the
oven is not so hot as to form crust imme-
diately for the bread should continue TO
rise after entering the oven and of course
n crust formed too soon prevents it and
makes the loaves tough. ''Lightness," it
should be remembered, depends upon the
expansion of the gas generated by the
yeast, and anything which prevents it is
injurious to the bread. Increase the oven
heat after twenty minutes. Let the bread
bake from an hour to an hour and half
according to the size of your loaves. En-
deavor to have nice, even, brown sides, top
and bottom. An experienced person will
he able to tell at glance when the bread
is done without being obliged, as was a
young housekeeper of whom once heard
to carefully cut small square from each
loaf, ere she ventured to take it out.
Now | do not claim that this process of
bread making which have given in detail
is the only infallible one. You WILL per
haps, prefer to change it a little in using
some kinds of flour. Some flour makes up
better with buttermilk, other kinds with
potatoes and water, If you prefer the lat
ter method, take about three potatoes, boil
them until soft and mash, pouring enough
water on to make the desired amount of
bread, and working as in the milk process
You will find your sponge exceedingly light
and foamy in the morning. For my own
part, however, like the milk process best,
as do not think the bread gets dry so
soon.
Thus far have spoken on the positive
side of my subject-"Ho How to Make Bread. "
A word or two now negatively "How not
to Make Bread
~. Do not allow your sponge to suffer
from either excessive heat or cold. Re
member it is as sensitive on that point as
you are.
(2). Never neglect to knead at the prop
er time, and you will not suffer from sour
bread Procrastination is the thief of
, loaves as well as of time.
(3). Do not knead too much, or the re-
suit will be tough bread,
By due care in these particulars, and
with good material, l think our bread
% makers may be as successful and useful in
their department as the bread winners OF
their respective families are in theirs.
TuIIi FrutII Preserves.